BenX (2008)—Belgium

Ben is a deeply disturbed teenager with severe Asbergers Syndrome: "There was always something wrong with me," he says. He's a loner in the real world who loses himself as a gamer in the online virtual world. His teachers are empathetic but stymied. Doctors have their theories but offer no practical help. Ben's distraught parents are beside themselves. Much of the film is about the harassment and humiliation Ben receives at school. When one of these despicable episodes is filmed with a cell phone and uploaded to the internet, Ben plots his "endgame." His online virtual friend, a young girl named Scarlite, insists upon helping him as his "healer." And so they meet in real life and devise their revenge. "Every night you pray to God that things will work out and be OK," laments his father. The improbable end of this film suggests that Ben's "problem" is not so much a problem for him, but a problem for and even caused by others who won't accept him for who he is. BenX was Belgium's entry for best foreign film at the 2008 Academy Awards. In Flemish with English subtitles.